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BBC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Who be Fito, Ecuador most wanted drug lord wey dem capture for wia e hide
Police for Ecuador don recapture di kontri most wanted fugitive, drug lord Adolfo Macías Villamar. Macías, wey im alias na "Fito", na di leader of Los Choneros, one powerful criminal gang wey chop blame for Ecuador transformation from tourist haven to kontri wey get one of di highest murder rates for di region. Dem also suspect say na im order di assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio for 2023. Police track am down to wetin dem describe as underground bunker under one luxury home for di city of Manta. One police tok-tok pesin tok no shots dey fired for di 10-hour joint operation by police and di military. Plenty officers bin first monitor and surround di three-storey house wey dey di Monterrey neighbourhood of Manta, on di Ecuadorian coast. Wen dem storm di building, dem see one sliding trap door, wey dey disguise to resemble part of di stone floor, from which metal stairs lead go Fito underground hideout. Di "bunker" get air air condition, one bed, one fan and one fridge. Di house get gym, punching bag and one games room, wia e fit dey play pool and table football. Fito reportedly no follow dem drag, dem transfer am by air go di port city of Guayaquil, wia several of Ecuador largest prisons dey located. Footage of im arrival for Guayaquil show am for inside shorts, T-shirt and flip flops wey e wear, as armed security officers lead am to one parked SUV bifor dem transfer am go La Roca maximum-security prison. Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa hail di security forces for capturing Fito and e say dem go extradite am go back US, wia e dey charged wit cocaine smuggling. Fito escape from La Regional prison for Guayaquil for January 2024 wit di help of at least two guards, wey grab global media attention. E trigger one wave of deadly prison riots, dem take guards hostage and e make President Noboa declare a state of emergency. But Fito don already dey notorious prior to im escape. During im time for prison – as e dey serve 34-year sentence for murder and drug trafficking – e rise to di top of di Los Choneros gang afta dem kill im previous leader. From behind bars, e coordinate di gang activities, wey include drug trafficking and extortion. Dem also suspect say na im order di murder of politician Fernando Villavicencio, wey dey gun down for one campaign rally just days bifor di 2023 election. Under Fito leadership, Los Choneros form links wit Mexico powerful Sinaloa cartel, one alliance wey experts say lead to horrible tactics wey Mexican cartels dey use well-well - like decapitations and mutilations – and e spread am to Ecuador. For di indictment wey di US goment sama against Fito, e allege say Fito na ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for one violent transnational criminal organization. Dem allege say e lead di Los Choneros' network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers and e import potentially lethal quantities of cocaine enta di United States, di defendant don cause great harm to im own kontri and di United States, wey be di destination for di vast majority of Los Choneros' cocaine shipments," United States Attorney Durham. As alleged for di indictment, from at least 2020 to 2025, Macías Villamar na di principal leader of Los Choneros, one of di most violent and powerful transnational criminal organizations for Ecuador. As di principal leader of Los Choneros, Macías Villamar employ members of di organization to carry out serious acts of violence on di organization behalf. At Macías Villamar's direction, Los Choneros don commit violent acts towards law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, attorneys, prosecutors and civilians. Shortly bifor e escape from prison, e appear for narcocorrido - one slick music video wia im daughter glorify her father criminal exploits. Di video, wey dem record some part inside di prison, show am as e dey caress one fighting cockerel and dey follow im fellow inmates chat. Di gang leader escape for 2024 bin serve as blow to Noboa government. Di Ecuadorian leader bin enta office for November 2023, afta dem elect am on top promise to combat di growing power of di gangs. Last year, America classify Los Choneros as one of di most violent gangs and affirm im connection to powerful Mexican drug cartels wey dey threaten Ecuador and di surrounding region. Authorities for Ecuador don classify di gang as a terrorist organization. Earlier dis month, di Ecuadorian government bin announce say dem go increase di reward for di capture of Macías to $1 million. On Wednesday, Noboa tok say di capture of di drug lord na proof im approach – wey include bringing in laws wey go give am power to declare "armed internal conflict", and allow police to conduct searches without a warrant. "More [drug lords] go fall, we go regain [control of] di kontri," e post on X.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Ecuador's most wanted drug lord 'Fito' captured in 'underground bunker'
Police in Ecuador have recaptured the country's most wanted fugitive, drug lord Adolfo Macías also known by the alias "Fito", is the leader of Los Choneros, a powerful criminal gang which is blamed for Ecuador's transformation from a tourist haven to a country with one of the highest murder rates in the region. He is also suspected of having ordered the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023. Police tracked him down to what they described as an underground bunker below a luxury home in the city of Manta. A police spokesman said no shots were fired in the 10-hour joint operation by police and the military. A large number of officers first monitored and surrounded the three-storey home in the Monterrey neighbourhood of Manta, on the Ecuadorian coast. When they stormed the building, they found a sliding trap door, disguised to look like part of the stone floor, from which metal stairs led to Fito's underground hideout. The "bunker" was fitted out with air conditioning, a bed, a fan and a house itself boasted a gym with a punching bag and a games room where he could play pool and table football. Fito reportedly put up no resistance and was transferred by air to the port city of Guayaquil, where several of Ecuador's largest prisons are of his arrival in Guayaquil shows him wearing shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops while being led by armed security officers to a parked SUV before being transfered to the La Roca maximum-security prison. Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa praised the security forces for capturing Fito and said that he would be extradited to the US, where he has been charged with cocaine escaped from La Regional prison in Guayaquil in January 2024 with the help of at least two guards, prompting global media triggered a wave of deadly prison riots, in which guards were taken hostage and which prompted Noboa to declare a state of Fito was already notorious prior to his escape. During his time in prison - while serving a 34-year sentence for murder and drug trafficking - he rose to the top of the Los Choneros gang after its previous leader was killed. From behind bars, he co-ordinated the gang's activities, which include drug trafficking and is also suspected of having ordered the murder of politician Fernando Villavicencio, who was gunned down at a campaign rally just days before the 2023 election. Under Fito's leadership, Los Choneros forged links with Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel, an alliance which experts say has led to the gruesome tactics commonly used by Mexican cartels - such as decapitations and mutilations - spreading to Ecuador. Shortly before his prison escape, he also appeared in a narcocorrido - a slick music video in which his daughter glorifies her father's criminal video, which was partly recorded inside the prison, shows him caressing a fighting cockerel and freely chatting to fellow inmates. The gang leader's escape in 2024 was a blow to Noboa's government. The Ecuadorian leader had assumed office in November 2023 after being elected on a promise to combat the growing power of the Wednesday, Noboa said that the drug lord's capture was proof his approach - which includes bringing in laws giving him sweeping powers to declare an "armed internal conflict", and which allows police to conduct searches without a warrant - was working."More [drug lords] will fall, we will regain [control of] the country," he posted on X.
